Adoption Process

The Sandton SPCA does not give away animals nor do we sell animals – animals are ADOPTED from us.

All animals adopted from the Sandton SPCA will be sterilised to prevent them from either having (or siring) any unwanted litters; they will be vaccinated to safeguard them from contracting diseases such as distemper or parvovirus; they will be dewormed to assist in the elimination of internal parasites, they may also be dipped to ensure that there are no external parasites; and they will be microchipped. This is what prospective owners are paying for whenever they adopt an animal from the Sandton SPCA. The actual animal is for free!

If you take into consideration that simply to sterilise a dog at your local veterinarian can cost anything between R1,150 and R2,000 and that a vaccination and deworming can cost R350 and upwards it quickly becomes apparent that the adoption fee we charge to adopt an animal, covering all of these expenses – and more, is not expensive at all.

You will be required to visit our kennels and view the animals currently up for adoption. You can also follow our Facebook page where we regularly post images and updates on the animals.
Visiting hours are 8am to 4pm on Mondays to Fridays and 9am to 12pm on Saturdays. We are also open every second Sunday and last Sunday of each month from 9am to 12pm.

Once you have chosen a potential pet you will need to enquire at our reception if the animal is available for adoption.
All kennels with a blue peg next to the animal’s information board is either already adopted or has a pending home inspection and therefore not available for adoption.

You will be required to complete an application to adopt form in person at our office once you have selected an animal that is available for adoption.
With your application you will be required to bring the following:

Proof of residence;

Identity Document, Drivers Licence or Passport;

R200 non-refundable deposit (which is counted towards the final total adoption fee);

If you live in a complex, a letter from the Body Corporate and/or your landlord (if renting) confirming that you are permitted to adopt and keep the animal or a copy of the Body Corporate rules confirming that residents are permitted to keep animals (more about this here);

We do not book or reserve animals unless the above is handed in. We work on a first come, first serve basis.

When adopting a dog, a meet and greet with your family and current dogs is vitally important. The meet and greet must be conducted before we can do the home inspection. The meet and greet is to ensure that the dog you wish to adopt gets along with your family and current dogs.

An inspector will be sent to your property to conduct an inspection and offer advice on adopting a pet. The Inspector will take note of the following:

Condition of other pets

Whether adequate shelter is provided

Where the animal will sleep at night

Size of property/height of wall

Ensure that the property is fully enclosed

We normally do the home inspection within 24 hours of receiving your completed application, however in some instances in may take longer as our main priority is to attend to animal abuse cases first.

Once your application and home inspection are approved the animal will be sterilised (if not already done). The animal will also be de-wormed, vaccinated and microchipped.

Our current adoption fee* is:

Dogs: R950 (from which the R200 non-refundable deposit will be deducted)

Cats: R800 (from which the R200 non-refundable deposit will be deducted)

You are now at the end of the adoption process and the animal can go home after you have completed the Adoption Contract in person at our office. This is normally done when you collect the animal.

* our adoption fee is subject to change without notice, kindly call the office to confirm the current rate

PLEASE NOTE: When applying to adopt a pet, a non-refundable deposit of R200 is required, which is included in the total adoption fee. The non-refundable deposit is to cover the administration costs and the conducting of the home inspection.

The following are also considered as criteria for adoption:

You must be over 18 years of age to adopt.

Your property must be fully enclosed.

You must be able to afford the services of a private vet and have your own transport to take your pet to the vet.

Considerations when adopting:

If you have a male dog already, it is often preferable to adopt a female to avoid dominance fighting.

If you have other pets (especially dogs), we request that you first bring them to the Sandton SPCA for a “meet & greet” with your new adopted pet.

Often we have no history on a dog/cat, therefore if you have young children bring them to meet the animal.

We strongly suggest that research is done to establish the cost implications with regard to food, vaccinations, monthly de-fleaing, de-worming and vets bills (pet insurance is an option). Carefully consider whether you have the time required to successfully integrate the new pet into your household and the time to spend with your pet eg. walking, playing and training.

The officially adopted Statement of Policy of the SPCA movement is to “discourage the keeping of domestic animals by those who do not have the facilities, time, financial means or level of interest necessary to ensure a satisfactory standard of care and husbandry for their pets” – domestic animals deserve to be loved, cared for, taken to the vet when necessary, played with, taken for walks and so on. SPCAs are careful to ensure that these qualities are available in all prospective homes. This is why we do not home animals just for security – and rather advise people to contact a security firm and hire a guard if they are concerned about safety. Our animals are homed as PETS and of course, if these animals bond with their owners, they will express natural behaviour, becoming protective of their new home and family and raise the alarm by barking at intruders that come onto their property.

The SPCA has a saying that goes – ‘owning an animal is a privilege and not a right’ and the animals that come into our care are either strays that have become lost or been abandoned as well as cats and dogs that are unwanted and are handed over to SPCAs; and of course, animals that have been neglected and ill-treated and removed by SPCA Inspectors in order to find new loving homes where they will never again be subjected to any form of ill-treatment. We take this onerous responsibility very seriously and Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cannot permit any of these animals to go to any homes where they will be anything else but loved and cared for – we cannot be part of letting these animals down.

For more information on animals available for adoption please contact our reception on 011 444 7730/1/2 during office hours or send an email to adopt@sandtonspca.org.za